Not So Silent Night

Silent night, holy night
All is calm, all is bright

While that familiar tune is one of the most oft sung Christmas carols in the world, it's not the way most mothers tell the story of their son being born.

There wasn't anything silent or calm with her newborn baby frantically screaming; certainly, it was far from a holy night given the pains of childbirth (I read somewhere that childbirth was more like a curse).

Back to that familiar Christmas nativity for a moment. We've serenaded many a congregation with those lyrics of Silent Night, Away in a Manger, and Angels We Have Heard on High. And while they create a festive mood for this time of year, perhaps we've romanticized the story slightly more than it was ever meant to be.

Seriously! Think about the characters of this story for a moment.

A Jewish teen named Mary conceived a child by way of a miracle. Her fiancé Joseph was informed of her conception through a dream. Star gazers, called magi, from the east followed a specially named star to bring gifts to the child. Shepherds in the field were serenaded by heavenly hosts.

That sounds almost unbelievable.

While it does sound a bit make believe, Disney-like to be honest, it has most definitely made a profound impact throughout the entire world.

But what happens next is amazing in and of itself; it's the not so silent night!

It was during the reign of Herod that this other king, this savior if you will, was born. Herod was an egomaniac whose power was threatened by the reputation of a newborn. So he decided to slaughter all the male babies in the region. Let's just say he was the Hitler or Stalin of Jesus' day.

So, Mary and Joseph and Jesus fled. And all the while God was working behind the scenes, just as He often does, to secure His plan from being thwarted by inhumane human behavior.

And for thirty years Jesus walked the streets, treating others with grace, meeting physical needs, building relationships, forsaking his own means of gratification, forgoing any material gain. For what? One more not so silent night!

The night of His betrayal, He heard the screams of His accusers, the denial of one of His own disciples, and most certainly the cries of His mother. And in those moments of His crucifixion, surely, it was a 'not so silent night' as He screamed in anguish and torment upon that Roman cross.

You see, when we consider the lovely story of Jesus lying in a manger, that was simply the prologue for a story of death. The plot line takes many twists and turns from the cradle to the cross. But inevitably, He came to die. And His death requires a response.

All too often we dress up the story of Jesus in the manger as being something lovely. But His birth is meant to point to the cross. He came to die! And it cannot remain a silent night for you and me.

We must choose to believe the story of Jesus and completely surrender our lives to Him or, like Herod, feel the pressure of having our very own kingdom threatened by the coming of the Promised Messiah!

No Average Joe: The Father of Jesus

He was told in a dream to retreat to a land where his ancestors were once enslaved with fear and degradation; Egypt. But why? That doesn't make any sense.

With no significant accomplishments, wealth, or titles to his name; Joseph was just a common, ordinary, Jewish laborer, a carpenter.

And while engaged to be married he found himself at odds with reason and fate. Mary was pregnant with someone else's child and according to the law he had every right to leave her, expose her, even have her stoned. Surely thoughts of betrayal, unfaithfulness, and selfishness flowed through his mind.

But there's something revealed about Joseph that can easily be missed if not read carefully. The Bible says he was a righteous man. So he decided to put her away secretly; not to expose or extinguish her. His decision was endowed with dignity and respect.

But in a moment of contemplation an angel appeared to him in a dream and declared that he not divorce her but in fact marry her, name the baby Jesus, and step into the role of becoming the step-father of the Savior of the world. And Joseph obeyed. Why? Because he was righteous. Not just a rule follower or a law abider but righteous.

Again an angel appeared to Joseph in a dream to depart from Bethlehem to Egypt to escape the evil intent of King Herod whose kingdom felt threatened by the presence of Jesus.

Twice more an angel appeared to Joseph to part ways with their current home in an effort to fulfill the Scriptures by moving from Egypt to Israel to Nazareth.

According to Matthew's Gospel that's about the extent of Joseph's involvement in the Christmas story; a righteous man being visited by an angel four times and each time, he obeyed. When his actions would have been justified to put Mary away; he chose to trust and obey. When he could have claimed a hardship on traveling to other cities, he chose to trust and obey.

Joseph, the step-father of Jesus, accepted his role in the background so the bright lights could shine all around the lead role of Jesus coming into the world. He simply did what the righteous should do; he did the right thing, at the right time, for the right reason.

How can we be more like Joseph? When life offers us opportunities to live in judgment of others' actions or fear of God's calling we must learn to be wise and choose to do what's right. It's not always easy or attractive but it always puts the focus on the greater story being told; not our story but the story of Jesus.